Family Matters
by xXJadedEyesXx
Summary: It was supposed to be a one night stand. They were in heat, they both needed release, and they both agreed it meant nothing. so why was he tracking her down now? Why did she have morning sickness? Full summ inside Rated for lang and later chapters.
1. Prologue

Hello all! I'm glad that I'm finally posting this story. I warn you now… I will not promise any long chapters for this story. I already have the first eight chapters written and they aren't long, and I have no plans to make them longer or change how my chapters are organized. If you have a problem with shorter chapters, then this story is not for you. Also, if you don't like the story, don't read it! I cannot stress this enough. I have no problem with criticism, but any idiot who clearly dislikes the story and keeps reading it just to review and flame it has absolutely no brains whatsoever. Don't like it, don't read it. Feel free to say you don't like it… but don't keep reading it and reviewing…. That's idiotic.

Anyways… I hope you all enjoy the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha… I'm just borrowing the characters to do my will haha. This is the only chapter that I will say this, I have said I do not own Inuyasha and if you need reminding then you can look back to this point. I have no wish to relive the pain of this moment hahaha.

Full Summary:

It was supposed to have been a one night stand. They had both been in heat, they had both needed release, they had both agreed (though she wished differently) that it was nothing. So why won't those odd wounds from that night heal? Why is he tracking her down now? Why is she getting morning sickness?

Pairing is Sess/Kag obviously

ON WITH THE STORY!

~Family Matters~

~Prologue~

She was sitting under the Goshinboku, lounging in the summer heat. She wasn't supposed to return from home until tomorrow so it was certain that the Inu hanyou would be with his golem well into the night. She gave out a huge yawn and stretched, letting out a mumbled curse as she returned to her relaxed state.

She had tired of being Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes. It got her absolutely nowhere other than under others' feet as they walked all over her; People such as Inuyasha, whom she used to love unconditionally. She loved him, helped him, fed him, cared for him as who he was, not who he could be with the help of the jewel, and what does he do? He leads her on, uses her as a shard detector, lies to her, and goes off to Kikyou whenever he gets a chance. 'Kikyou' she gave out an unladylike snort as the name crossed her mind, another person whom she had let walk all over her. Not only had the bitch been selfish when she was living, but she was even more selfish as a walking clay pot. When she was alive, she had wanted to shirk her duties and use the jewel to turn Inuyasha human. Wanting to be relieved of the destruction and hatred the Shikon no Tama created she could understand, but refusing half of what someone is, even Inuyasha, was wrong and it was selfish to try and change him so she could have a normal life. Kikyou died before she could make her selfish wish. That _should_ have been the end of it, but no, that damn witch had to steal half of _her_ soul and bring the selfish woman back to life. Does she give her soul back? No. The bitch keeps her soul, constantly tries to get the other half, steals the souls of dead women, and tries to drag Inuyasha to hell on a daily basis. But does she complain about Kikyou? No, she tried to understand her, tried to help her, hell, she even saved her damn life! She even invited Kikyou to join the group when she gave up on the hope of Inuyasha choosing her over his first love. And what was Kikyou's reply?

"_I wouldn't wish to make you uncomfortable. After all, being constantly reminded of my obvious perfection and your obvious lack of skill would probably be too much for you. Besides, I prefer to work on my own to find the shards, without so many burdens," Kikyou's eyes landed on her and Shippou as she said the last part._

Another snort escaped through her lips. _'Perfect my ass' _she thought. To say she was irked by Kikyou's comment of her "Lack of skill" and being a "burden" was an understatement. She was in no way inferior to Kikyou and every way superior. She simply let Inuyasha and Kikyou think so. She may have been overly nice, but she wasn't stupid. Letting Inuyasha know what she was truly capable of would be a grave mistake. Kikyou knows everything he knows and she's bad enough as it is when she thinks her reincarnation is a weak pathetic lovesick nobody.

She had not been that way for a long time. Not since the Inutachi had become whole. She knew that if such a situation arises, Inuyasha would pick Kikyou's non-life over hers. She also knew that if she depended on her friends' protection, it could cost them their lives. So she trained, and she became stronger. Kaede and Miroku helped her with her spiritual powers, mostly teaching her meditation, sutras, and common knowledge of miko teachings. It had taken her three years, but she had finally mastered all they could teach her. So she just recently began to experiment with her powers by herself. The many self inflicted tiny cut and scrapes on her hands gave evidence to her experiments with her healing powers. So far she had only managed to heal them once.

Sango had taught her the basics of hand to hand combat, swordplay, and taught her how to interpret and predict her opponent's moves. As she had with her spiritual powers, she experimented on her own once Sango taught her all she could. Kirara had been a great help as well. She smiled fondly as she reminisced of the day the neko youkai approached her with one of her larges fangs from her larger form. She didn't know how the neko removed the fang, but she did realize how big and important the gesture was. The neko's fang had regrown that morning when she dropped the miko off at totosai's.

Even Totosai said they were one of his greatest creations. Twin blades, Kuroneko and Shironeko, named after Kirara's demon race. Both blades contained immense power. Kuroneko contained the power of fire, Shironeko was able to channel her miko powers. If desired, their hilts could be combined, thus combining their powers in a type of bladed staff. She also had the foresight to request their dormant sates to be even more deceptive than Tetsaiga. When she wasn't training with them or fighting they were two tiny sword shaped earrings that she wore at all times. Inuyasha didn't even notice the tiny earrings she wore, they were perfect. All of her friends had agreed to keep her trainings from Inuyasha, they knew her reasons and they understood.

Training over the past three years had changed her drastically. Her skin had bronzed a bit from her endless hours in the sun. She wasn't very tan, but she was no longer the sickly pale she had been from all that time indoors for school. She had grown a few inches, her arms and legs were toned and muscled perfectly as was her stomach. Her hips and bust had grown much fuller giving her a sensual look that most women would die for and most men would die to touch. All of her excess baby fat had disappeared. Her high cheekbones were more prominent highlighting her natural beauty. Her lips had grown much fuller and pouty which gave them that "Kiss me" air about them. Her eyes had been the most curious change. Her warm honey brown eyes had turned into unpredictable cerulean orbs. She didn't know if the change was due to her growing powers or some genetic phenomenon she had heard about in her biology class. She couldn't remember the name, she hadn't been paying attention at the time.

Yes, she had changed a lot over the past three years, not that Inuyasha had noticed. He still saw her as the pale, weak, shadow of his past love. _'Fuck him'_ she thought, stretching once more. She was tired of being nice. She wasn't his step stool, she wasn't his shard detector. She wasn't Kikyou's shadow, and she sure as hell wasn't weak. She was strong, she was her own woman, she was-

"Kagome!" her thoughts were interrupted by two children running towards her, arms open wide. She smiled and received them with open arms.

"You came back early!" Shippo cheered.

"Yes, and I brought you goodies!" she smiled.

"Kagome! Lord Sesshoumaru came to visit just like he promised!" Rin squealed excitedly. "Rin was afraid that Lord Sesshoumaru hated Rin when he left her to live in the village, but he came to see Rin! That means he must still like Rin right?" The small girl was jumping with joy. The kit rolled his eyes and snuggled into the miko's embrace.

"Of course Rin-chan. Sesshoumaru-sama just wanted you to be safe and grow up in a village with friends. You'll become a young woman soon, don't you want to find a nice boy and get married and live happily ever after?" the little girl blushed and giggled, nodding in agreement.

"Come on Kagome! Let's go see Lord Sesshoumaru!" The two kids took off towards the village.

Taking one last stretch, she stood.

She was Kagome….. and no hanyou or clay pot could change that.

~AN~

Ok! So the prologue is up! This was just a little intro to what Kagome's character will be like I guess. Next chapter Sesshoumaru shows up! He and Kagome have an agreement what is it? Also, things start to heat up just a little! Hope you enjoyed!

Kagz


	2. Chapter One

Hey readers! Welcome to Chapter one of Family Matters! Thank you for your reviews, I'm glad you like it so far. I hope you enjoy the rest!

~Family Matters~

~Chapter One~

He resisted the urge to flinch as his sensitive ears were filled with the sound of Rin's delighted squeals. He had told her that the miko, Kagome, was resting by the goshinboku and not in her own time. The little girl had raced off from the clearing he had found her in with the untrained fox kit. Once they were out of sight, his gaze fell on the ancient well.

He had found out about the woman's secret the day he left Rin in the village not far away. They had come upon the clearing to find the woman jumping into the well. At Rin's distressed cry, he had instinctively jumped into action and saved the woman.

"_Woman, has my half brother's company finally driven you to kill yourself? If so, I suggest you do it after our bargain is complete."_

_Her blue orbs gazed at him in a dazed confusion, then widened in realization._

"_Oh! Sesshoumaru-sama you misunderstood my intentions."_

"_Hn, what other intention can one have for jumping into a dry well other than death?"_

"_I wasn't going to die, I was going home."_

"_Explain."_

"_Well…"_

She had told him of her home, her time, and how she came to be five hundred years into the past. She had also completed her side of the bargain. She had convinced the villagers to allow Rin to live with them. She had even prepared a hut for Rin's use- and his own should he choose to stay the night on one of his visits- a small garden, and a couple of new kimonos for Rin to wear. From what he was told and has seen, she has been treated well and taken care of.

The time for his side of the bargain to be fulfilled has yet to come, but when it did, he would fight alongside his brother's group to defeat the vile hanyou Naraku.

The sound of children's laughter alerted him to the return of Rin and the kit, presumably with Kagome in their company. The scent of vanilla tantalized his nose, Kagome's scent. Her scent was very pleasant by itself, but it was the spicy scent mixed into it that caused his inner youkai to stir. The woman was in heat. Normally a woman, be it Ningen, Youkai, or Hanyou, in heat had no effect on him whatsoever. It was beneath him to give in to such primitive urges. Be that as it may, resisting the urge to bed an attractive miko in heat who just so happened to be brimming with pure, raw, untainted power while he too was also in heat- that was another matter. His admiring gaze roamed her figure as she and the children approached. The action went unnoticed to all but her. Seeing her blush, he let out a low, inaudible growl of approval. He knew other ways he could make her blush, such as running his-

Realizing what he was thinking, he mentally shook himself. 'What am I thinking? A ningen miko, I am the Taiyoukai of the West, I am above such primitiveness, I am-'

The wind blew at that moment, carrying the scent of her heat toward him once more. His eyes trained on the swell of her breasts as she bent over to pick flowers with Rin.

'I am… in need of a cold stream'

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Molten gold met cerulean.

~End Chapter One~

~An~

I told you…. Short chapters… Sorry. I already wrote this story up to chapter 9 in my notebook… I ended the chapter where I thought it'd be a good place to end it… I'm not changing it, the length of my chapters will have already been decided before I even go to update. I continue writing my story when I have time, but I'm at least 6 chapters ahead in my notebook than in my updates. So sending reviews asking for longer chapters is kind of useless… I realize that you'd all like longer chapters, but when I'm writing in my notebook I don't look for length, I look for what I feel are good places to end chapters, so length is totally unpredictable. I'll update again as soon as I update my other stories. Thanks for reading!

Kagz


	3. Chapter Two

Hello readers! Time for another chapter of Family Matters! YAAAAAAY! Bout time right? Hahaha. So as you should know by now I have everything written down so that I can just type it up and post it, the only reason I don't post them all up right away is because I also updated my other stories (which in their case tends to come right off the top of my head right before I post)… anyways I'm giving you all a warning that chapters 3,4 and 5 are gonna be reeeeaaaaallly short like this one is. Chapter six will be a lil longer and since I need to change and add some things it'll be even longer than what I wrote. So, I decided that since the next few chapters will be so short, I will post them up in the next few days…. Once I post this one I will start typing up chapter 3.

~Family Matters~

~Chapter 2~

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Her response was his molten gold gaze meeting her cerulean one. She had seen him looking her up and down, she had seen, and felt, his heated gaze. Said gaze had elicited a responding wave of heat from her that she had not expected.

It was not the first time she had had such feelings for the Taiyoukai , but it was certainly the most intense yet. Trying to distract herself, she immediately agreed to Rin's request to make flower wreaths. Still feeling his gaze on her she gave up, turned to fully face him, and called out his name.

"Is there something wrong Sesshoumaru-sama?" she questioned.

He had heard the question, but it was impossible to think. His thoughts were filled with visions of himself taking her. Thanks to his heat, it was not uncommon for his inner youkai to fill his thoughts with visions of rutting a female, but this was different. These visions were specific; all of them were of Kagome. He highly doubted that his usual remedy of fucking the occasional anonymous female youkai was going to work this time. No, his inner youkai wanted Kagome. Unless he did something soon, he was going to lose his mind.

"Rin" the little girl paused in her frolicking.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"I will return shortly, do not follow." When he saw her nod, he left quickly. The close by stream was his destination. As he approached the stream he immediately stripped and walked waist deep into the water. Despite the freezing temperature of the water flowing around him, a certain appendage of his refused to calm. He let out a frustrated growl. He refused to submit to self gratification, especially not in the middle of a stream where anyone could see the Western Lord satisfy his urge with his only hand.

His attention was drawn to where he had come from by a gasp, a shriek, and a splash. He turned in time to see a soaked Kagome resurface, gasping for air. Her shirt clung to her chest. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who found the stream to be chilly.

"I-I'm sorry I thought there was something wrong and I came to see if you were alright. I didn't know you were…" Her face turned a delectable shade of red. The smell of her heat and her arousal was overpowering.

"Kagome… we need to talk"

~End of Chapter 2~

~AN~

Soooooooo, whatcha think? I'll be typing up the next chapter shortly… oh and let me know if you see any typos or grammar problems or if something doesn't seem right…. I was typing pretty fast and wasn't really looking at the screen, I don't have much time to get the other chaps typed up so I'm kinda just quickly skimming them before I post them…it doesn't help that I'm having trouble typing…. My first fingers on both hands have really short almost nonexistent fingernails and my other fingernails are pretty long so it's messing up my typing… I gotta fix that hahahaha. Thanks for reading peeps!

~Kagz


	4. Chapter Three

OK! Chapter three coming up! YAY!

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Three~

She couldn't believe what had happened.  
>All she wanted to do was check on him, and what does do? She ends up seeing him naked and falling in the stream!<p>

Kagome had been pining over Sesshoumaru for a while now. Once she got over Inuyasha, She had begun to fully appreciate how good looking the Taiyoukai truly was. His silver hair looked impossibly silky and soft. Even with his haori and hakama and spiked armor, one could tell he was well muscled and his aura practically screams of strength, power, and Royal Blood. His eyes changed so quickly from his icy amber glare to molten gold. She yearned to stroke the regal maroon markings on his high cheekbones and wrist. They weren't the only things she wanted to stroke. She felt herself heat up as she caught sight of his well chiseled chest. She realized that his face and wrist were not the only things that had stripes; she detected the hints of stripes on his hips, which were submerged in the stream.

She had stopped her explanation when she noticed his attentions were… elsewhere. Kagome blushed. Her arousal spiked as he took a few steps towards her, stepping on higher ground revealing that not only the stripes on his hips, but a certain, hard, appendage as well.

"Kagome… we need to talk."

She didn't hear him, of that he was certain. Her eyes were trained on his hardened member. He watched, mesmerized as her tongue darted out and ran over her petal shaped lips. He groaned and leaped out of the stream, grabbing Kagome as he passed her. He held her tightly against his bare form. He put those lips to good use as he ravaged them with his own. After a few moments he pulled away. He took pleasure in the sight of her gasping for air, her eyes closed, her lips bruised, and the undeniable look of desperate want on her face. She slowly opened her eyes to meet his, still breathing heavily.

"So… how about that talk?"

Sesshoumaru smirked at her words.

He slowly backed her up against a large boulder, lifting her up with his arm so that she was sitting on it. He stood between her legs, pulling her to him so that she was practically straddling him. He pulled her in for another ravaging kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck.

"I have a… proposition." He whispered in her ear. He gently took her lobe in between his canines, feeling a tingle as his tongue ran over the metal piercing occupying it.

"Mmmm, and what does said proposition entail?" she murmured breathlessly.

Sesshoumaru's hand trailed down her back, stopping above her rear.

"Due to my being in," his hand drifted lower and cupped her rear "_heat…" _he paused, taking pleasure in her gasp. "My mind has become a bit _preoccupied. _The scent of your own heat does not help."

"Mhm?" It was obvious his administrations were distracting her.

"I can tell that you are being affected by my presence as much a I am yours. Therefore I propose we do one another a favor… without complications."

~End of Chapter Three~

~AN~

WHOOT! GETTING HEATED UP! Haha… girls you can't tell me that you wouldn't want to be in Kagome's place right now.. and if you can… then you're reading the wrong fanfiction ahahaha. Ok… on to chapter four, wish me luck! haha


	5. Chapter Four

OK! Chapter four is here! Go me! Haha

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Four~

Kagome leaned back a bit. She knew what he was saying. She had to admit, it was incredibly tempting. As she stared at his naked form, she thought of her growing feelings for him. She knew that the chance of him actually returning those feelings were a longshot. This may be the best she'd ever get from him.

"I get it. Friends with benefits, no strings attached right?"

"What?" Sesshoumaru paused and gave her a curious look.

"In my time, "Friends With Benefits" are what we call two people who have sex without being in a romantic relationship. "No Strings Attached" is basically sex without the complications of relationships and feelings."

"Ah, then yes, no strings attached."

Kagome observed his face then lowered her gaze to his broad chest, then to his abs, and then finally her gaze rested on his member. A slight panic shot through her. He was big… very big… she didn't know if she could handle him, especially since she was a virgin. Still, if she was going to give it to anyone, she'd want it to be him.

"All right. I accept."

She was tired of being a good girl anyways.

~End of chapter Four~

~AN~

DONE! Short, I know, but my story so NYAH! XP…. Anyways… on to chapter 5!


	6. Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE YALL! Enjoy!

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Five~

"Alright, I accept."

That was all he needed to hear. His lips crashed against hers once again. His hand slipped under her black skirt only to be met by an unknown fabric barrier. He tried to remove the fabric without ripping it. Angering Kagome by destroying her things could cause an end to their agreement. Unfortunately with just one arm, Sesshoumaru was having trouble. He could not lift Kagome and remove the fabric at the same time. He let a small growl of frustration escape his throat.

Sensing his frustration, Kagome pulled back from the kiss and looked down.

"Ummmm, mind if I try something before we continue?

He gave her a curious look but nodded none the less.

"Ok, let me see your arm?" He raised his arm. She stared at it, running her fingers over his well toned muscles. She traced the stripes on his wrist, reveling at the silky smooth texture. She turned his hand over in hers and glanced at his deadly claws. "Well," she looked into his eyes "Here goes nothing." She closed her eyes and concentrated hard. An image of Sesshoumaru's left arm formed in her mind. Placing her hand on his left shoulder she called forth her power. Both she and Sesshoumaru began to glow. His eyes never left her face as she concentrated. When the glowing stopped Kagome opened her eyes.

"Yes! I did it!"

He followed her gaze to his arm… his left arm… the one he lost. He brought up his hand and flexed his claws. The joy of regaining his fallen limb sent his mind into a frenzy. He quickly lifted her up, removed the fabric, and placed her legs around his waist, holding her against him. He smirked at her flushed face.

"I thank you, Kagome." He swiftly dropped to his knees and laid her back in the grass. Watching as she shifted on the grass he quickly unzipped her skirt (Having been shown how it works by Kagome not too long ago) and pushed it aside. He gazed at her a moment before smirking. "Let us see if this new hand of mine is fully functional."

~End of Chapter Five~

~AN~

Oh yeah, I did it… I totally cut you off before it got to the good stuff…. I'm evil…. I know it. Chapter 6 will obviously have a lemon in it. If you don't want to read it… just skip to the last five paragraphs of the chapter. Idk when I'll get to editing chapter six n adding stuff so hang tight!

~Kagz


	7. Chapter Six

WHOOT! I AM ON A ROLE YO! NEW RECORD FOR THE GAL WHO ALWAYS TAKES FOREVER IN UPDATING! Ok so it is 11:37 PM here and so far, in the past 24 hours I have posted SEVEN chapters/ updates for my stories. Granted, they were mostly short, but in my defense two of them came comepletely off of the top of my head and one of them I rewrote a chapter… from 1,200 words to 2,264 words… that's pretty good for a rewrite in my mind haha. So, now that I have updated all other stories at least once (except for one which is explained in said story), I can work on making the Sixth chapter of Family Matters! YAAAAAAAY! Too bad I can't get this posted before midnight and make it eight chapter posted in one day, but A: I only have like 14 minutes left now cuz I got distracted, and B: I'm rewriting some parts that will most likely make the chapter a little longer as I add some parts I didn't have before… so it'll take a while to come up with some new stuff.

WARNING! This IS a LEMON CHAPTER! IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ A LEMON, DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER! I will post any non lemon important facts in the next chapter for those who don't wish to read a lemon… not that I'm any good a writing lemons hahahaha… cuz I'm not XP.

Ok! I think that's everything…. Let's get started, shall we?

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Six~

Kagome gasped as his fingers caressed her core. His teasing fingers deftly rubbing and exploring her as her lust grew. As he slowly inserted his first finger into her, his thumb pressed against a certain bundle of nerves.

His inner Youkai roared as the sound of her delighted mewling reached his ears. He began to pump his finger faster, inserting another, careful not to hurt her with his claws. Lifting up her shirt, he sliced through the fabric left that was obstructing his access to her breasts. He no longer cared of angering her, she was too far gone to notice it at the moment and he didn't like such a thing hiding her supple breasts from him. He cupped her right breast with his free hand and ravaged the left with his mouth. She moaned as he caught her nipple between his canines and gave it a gentle nip. By now her hips were rocking and bucking to meet the pumps of his fingers. Afraid her enthusiasm would cause an accident with his deadly claws pumping inside her, he gripped her hips to restrict movement as he pumped; his mouth releasing her left nipple in favor of the right. He quickened the pace as her walls tightened around his fingers signaling her nearing of climax.

Kagome let out a cry as her climax hit, her whole body shuddering from the force.

Satisfied that she was ready for him, Sesshoumaru removed his fingers and licked them clean. She tasted divine. Wrapping her legs around his waist once again he sat up so that she was straddling him, on her knees, hovering over his straining member.

Taking the hint, Kagome smiled and ran her fingers over his shoulders. She traced the muscles, placing her hands on his chest. Her right hand drifted lower, tracing his abs before going lower and gripping the neglected appendage that demanded attention and satisfaction. She gave it a few strokes, earning a groan from the Taiyoukai. Kagome gave him a seductive grin before lowering herself onto him.

The pain was sharp as he broke through her hymen. She stopped and let out a whimper of pain. He didn't move, allowing her to adjust to him before she began to move. She moved slowly, up and down, her hips rolling as she adjusted. The sharp pain turned into a dull throb as she moved. He gripped her hips, guiding her, but made no movement of his own. He wanted her to be adjusted; else his thrusts would break her. Her hips moved faster and faster as she grew more adjusted, but it wasn't enough. She wanted more, she needed more.

Sensing she was ready, Sesshoumaru flipped her around so that she was on her knees facing away from him. His left arm was across her chest, gripping her right shoulder, holding her upright and against him. His right hand gripped her hip and held her in place as he entered her once more. His thrusts deepened and quickened as he had her moaning and writhing with pleasure.

He lost himself in her hot core. The feeling of her slick walls gripping him was making it impossible to control his inner youkai. His eyes seeped red as he felt her near climax once again. His pace quickened, his growls grew louder, and his fangs and claws lengthened as he too neared climax.

As they both reached their climax, Sesshoumaru let out a roar and sunk his canines into the back of her neck. At the same time, his claws sank into her right hip. He reveled in the taste of her blood and gave a pleased growl as she gasped his name. She collapsed against his arm while he retracted his claws and fangs from her flesh and removed himself from her core. He licked the blood from her neck and hips, allowing his saliva to soothe the pain. She leaned against him exhausted, dazed, and completely satisfied.

Once Sesshoumaru was satisfied that her wounds were tended to, he lifted her small frame to lay on top of his and covered them both up with his haori. The sun had set and gone a while ago, the moon now high in the night sky.

Sesshoumaru's now golden eyes stared at the sleeping form on top of him.

He had lost control…

He had made a mistake…

A mistake that, now that he thought about it, he did not particularly mind…

But it was a mistake, which broke their agreement…

There was nothing he could do at the moment…

He would tell her in the morning.

He wrapped his arms around her slender form and fell into a fitful sleep. His new mate sleeping unaware in his arms.

~End of Chapter Six~

Ok so I know I said I had a few things to add to make it longer but I changed my mind. So this is the original version I came up with earlier. I was going to add some more juicy stuff but I decided to just make it a "Short and Sweet" Lemon and save the other stuff for later. I hope you enjoyed my little lemon hahaha.


	8. Chapter Seven

Alright readers of mine, I give you, *drum rolllllllllllll* CHAPTER 7! Enjoy.

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Seven~

Kagome was the first to awaken. Gently removing Sesshoumaru's arms from around her waist she stood up and stretched, wincing as her aching muscles protested. Realizing she was still naked she blushed and rushed to gather her clothes.

Discovering her ruined bra she sighed. _'I guess I'm going braless until I get back to the village' _She quickly dressed and turned towards the sleeping Taiyoukai. Kneeling beside him she brushed his silver tresses from his face.

"I wish it didn't have to end like this," she whispered. "I wish we could've been more, but I'll take what I can get." She kissed the crescent moon that adorned his brow. "Thanks for the memories."

With that she stood and left, heading back towards the village. She listened as the sound of the stream grew quieter and quieter as she got further away. Once she could no longer hear the stream, she paused using her powers to cover her scent. It would not be good if Inuyasha caught the scent of his brother all over her. Even less if he noticed the change of her own scent seeing as she was no longer a virgin. She sighed as she caught sight of the village. It was time to return to reality.

"Keh, where have you been? You're late! Where's your bag?" Kagome turned to face Inuyasha. He no doubt had spent the night with Kikyou. She could smell the scent of death and soil from where she stood.

"My bag is at the village, in Kaede's hut. As for your first question," She smirked, "I'll tell you where I've been if you'll answer the same question for yourself."

Inuyasha looked away. "Keh, like I care anyways. Let's go already! We're heading North! There are rumors of Shikon fragments in a village 5 days travel from here. Hurry up bitch!" he growled, taking off towards the village.

Kagome scoffed and rolled her eyes. She glanced back the way she came from; a small smile on her face. '_Sesshoumaru_…' She felt two twin twinges of pain on the back of her neck and hip. She fingered the bite mark on the back of her neck that her ebony hair concealed. She didn't mind that he bit her and dug his claws into her hip… in fact she liked it. Two memories of the Taiyoukai she loved but could never have.

As she continued towards the village, a distant howl reached her ears. It was a cry of loneliness, the call for a loved one perhaps. It held such sadness and desperation that she felt a pull at her heart. She could relate with the wolf who gave such a howl.

"Seems like I'm not the only one that feels alone"

~End of Chapter Seven~

Annnnnnnnnd done! Haha short chapter, I know… but Little moments are better than none ne?

~Kagz


	9. Chapter Eight

Here's chapter eight of Family Matters, like all the others, it's short… but… we all must be happy with what we have right? I write these chapters in my notebook during my free time. I end these chapters in parts that I think are good places to stop. I might have a lot of free time, but they are short periods in between the times that I have things I need to do, like during boring parts of college classes haha. Anyways I'll post this chapter and the next and then I'll either go to bed or work on my other stories. Idk when I'll be posting after that but if I'm still on a roll like I have been, it may be within the next few days ^.^

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Eight~

The lack of her warmth was the first thing he noticed as he grew conscious. She wasn't there, and from the smell of it, she hadn't been for a while. He bolted up, his coverings pooling at his feet unnoticed.

He cursed at himself. Not only had he foolishly marked the girl, but he allowed her to go, unprotected and ignorant of the fact that she was now marked as the Lady of the Western Lands, off into the woods alone. His beast howled in anger. He needed to find her. Now. Taking in her scent, he headed back towards the village.

"SESSHOUMARU-SAMA!" The squawking shriek reached his ears before he saw the toad's short figure approach.

Jaken caught sight of his lord and turned an ugly brown, an unfortunate result of the redness of embarrassment mixing into the green of his skin. "Se-Sesshoumaru-sama! P-please excuse this lowly Jaken's impudence! Demo, there is an emergency! Pl-please get dressed and return home at once!"

It was at Jaken's words that Sesshoumaru finally realized that his clothes were still pooled at his feet. He picked up the clothes and began to dress, showing none of the raging emotions he held inside. "I will return once I have taken care of some personal business."

"B-but Sesshoumaru-sama! The Lords of the Lands are marching our way! The Eastern Lord has accused you of neglect! If you do not meet with them and reestablish your alpha position they will break the treaty and invade the western ter- MILORD! YOUR ARM HAS GROWN BACK!?"

Sesshoumaru growled. "Jaken, take Ah-Un and make preparations for the Lords. Be sure there are enough rooms to accommodate them."

"Does that mean-"

"Now Jaken!"

"Yes Sesshoumaru-sama!" He scurried off to fulfill his orders without another word.

Once again, Sesshoumaru cursed. Both he and his beast were torn. He was newly mated, and his mate was missing. His protective instincts were almost uncontrollable. On the other hand, his land was being threatened. If he were to go after his mate instead of facing his competitors, then war would break out in his land. Warring lands was not a safe place for his new mate. It will be hard enough on her being mated to a Taiyoukai, even harder since she's a miko. When a Taiyoukai like himself mated, his youki is inserted into his mate when he marks her. How her miko powers would react, he did not know, that alone could endanger her. Bringing her with him to face the lords was unacceptable. It would be the same as waving meat in front of starving wolves. She'd be an instant target to those who wish to bring him down. The best option was to take care of the Lords as soon as possible, stabilize his lands, and then find his mate and bring her home. He transformed into his demonic form. His beast was a little sluggish. He did not want to leave his mate in his half brothers hands. He did not want her to be out of his sight, but going after her at the moment could prove to cause her more danger than she was already in.

He let out a single howl, calling out for Kagome, before he took off towards his home and those that threatened what was his.

~End of Chapter Eight~

Alrighty! I am off to bed. I have all day tomorrow to work on my other stuff so I may just get to updating Family Matters within the next day or two. Btw if you find some spelling error or grammar problems let me know… I've been updating and typing so much crap that it's all running together haha.

~Kagz


	10. Chapter Nine

Alrighty chapter nine! Enjoy!

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Nine~

Kagome sighed, wiping her mouth she straightened from her crouched position in the bushes. Panic settled in her newly emptied stomach as she walked away from the puddle of vomit. It had been a month since she had given herself to Sesshoumaru. In this month, Kagome hadn't even so much as a cramp, just recently begun to get sick, and certain smells made her unbearably queasy. She knew the signs, now she only needed confirmation. She approached Inuyasha, who was lounging in a tree close to camp.

"Inuyasha… I need to go home."

"No,"

"I'm not asking."

"I said no."

"And I don't care. I need to do something at home and I am _telling_ you that I will be going home."

Inuyasha landed in front of her. "You're not going anywhere. We are on the trail of a jewel shard."

"And who told you this? I haven't sensed a shard in a week! If we're so close to this shard then why is it we have been following this trail for a month with no results? Face it Inuyasha, the rumor was a dud and I am going home." She turned away and walked towards the campfire.

Inuyasha grabbed her arm and spun her around. "I… said… no." he growled.

"How exactly do you plan on stopping me?"

Inuyasha growled but said nothing. Kagome smirked, yanked her arm out of his grip and walked over to Sango.

"Sango, may I borrow Kirara for a few days? I want to- HEY!" Inuyasha had thrown her over his shoulder and leapt into the tree he was in before. He went higher this time, to the highest limb that could support their weight. He sat her down on the limb and crouched before her. "Inuyasha, what the hell?"

"Who is he?" he murmered.

"Who?"

He slammed his fist into the tree's trunk. "Who the fuck is the father?"

Kagome gasped, her face turned white.

"Yeah, I know. Think you're clever huh bitch? You hid your scent when you came back, long enough for his scent to wear off. But I could smell it as soon as you dropped the spell. I caught the scent of the bastard's child inside of you. Tell me… who'd you fuck slut?"

Kagome's face reddened with anger. Her hand balled into a fist as she pulled it back and nailed him in the face with a right hook.

He cursed as he lost balance and fell to a lower branch. He glared up at her with a bleeding lip.

"How DARE you call _me_ a slut! What the hell do you call that pile of dirt that you've been screwing? I'm sure that little zombie whore of yours has been into more beds then I have!"

"What did you just say?" Inuyasha roared. He leapt at her, cursing as she quickly dodged and landed on another branch.

"You heard me! I had sex ONE time and _I'm_ a slut? I know what you and Kikyou do when you disappear, and I sure as hell know you're not the only one she does it with. So tell me, how am I a slut? Kikyou, who sleeps with many, is a slut. I've only slept with Sesshoumaru so-"

"SESSHOUMARU?" Inuyasha roared. Kagome gasped and covered her mouth. He leapt at her again, this time catching her off guard and digging his claws into her shoulder.

"Inuyasha!" Sango shouted. "How could you?"

Kagome stared at the wound in shock.

"Keh, this bitch is a traitor, she deserves it for fucking that bastard."

"Inuyasha! Kagome's our friend!" Miroku argued.

"She's no friend, just a cunt who fucks anyone willing. She's only good for detecting shards."

Kagome snapped out of her shock and let out a surprisingly canine-like snarl.

"The fact that she's pregnant just makes her a bigger burden than she already was. I hope that b-" Inuyasha's sentence was cut off. His eyes widened in shock.

Kagome landed on the ground a few feet away from the tree. Kuroneko and Shironeko gleamed in the sunlight as she held them. Kuroneko dripped with blood.

"Inuyasha," Kagome growled, "this shard detector is no longer available for your use. This burden will be leaving for good. I'll continue to look for the shards on my own. As of now, we are no longer friends, if you get in my way," She flicked Kuroneko with her wrist, flames burst from the blade and burned away all traces of blood, "I'll kill you." She turned to camp and went to retrieve her bag. Inuyasha, who had a sizable wound on his back, simply stood and watched with a look of hatred on his face.

As she passed Sango and Miroku, she whispered so only they could hear.

"Don't follow. I will leave a note under a rock on the boulder by the hot spring we used earlier."

She grabbed her bag and picked up a crying Shippo and headed off into the forest.

"Keh, good riddance"

~End of Chapter Nine~

Ok, that's it for now. I may post up chapter Ten later tonight or tomorrow morning, it depends on what I'm doing


	11. Chapter Ten

Ok! So here's chapter ten…and as soon as I post this I'll be typing up chapter 11 and post that too.

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Ten~

"That's unreasonable~" The Eastern Lord cried out.

"Hn, your attempts to invade my lands with the excuse that I neglect my duties show that you have very little reason. Thus, your punishment shows the same amount of reason you have, it is fair."

"But… I am a lord! You cannot give my land to another!"

"I can and will. I have more land and more power than you. In order to keep the peace in their lands, the Northern and Southern lords are in agreement with me. You have no one to back you up, not even your most loyal soldiers will defend you against three armies. Your land will be given to your cousin unless someone more suitable comes to mind." Sesshoumaru stated coldly.

"But!" Sesshoumaru cut him off

"You came to my land and accused me of neglecting my duties. You have stayed at my palace and observed, searching for any failures. You have found none. Such an unfounded accusation is a great insult and grounds for which I can start war. Either take your punishment with what little dignity you have or I shall take your lands by force and add them to my own. The first option ends in disgrace, the other ends in death."

The eastern lord paled, then reddened with rage. He stood and stormed out of the room. Sesshoumaru looked at the other two lords. "The investigation is over, correct?" They nodded. "Then I will be taking my leave. I ask that you take yours within the week. Jaken will arrange your transportation back to your homes. I have important matters to attend to." He stood and left the room as well.

~An Hour Later~

After ensuring the departure of the former Lord of the East, Sesshoumaru called for Jaken.

"Arrange for the transportation of the other Lords. I want them gone within a week."

"Yes Milord."

"I have left measurements for Kimonos. I want a wardrobe made by the time I return. There is also a list of things that need to be bought."

"How long will you be gone Milord?"

"At least a week if not more. When we return, I expect those things done along with the usual tasks."

" We, Milord?" Jaken squeaked.

"Yes, I will be bringing back with me the Lady of the Western Lands."

~End of Chapter Ten~

Alright I'll be working on Eleven Riiiiiiiiiiiiight… NOW! haha


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven is here! Woohooo! BTW… This chapter has a bit of a Lemon in it… but it'd kind of unavoidable cuz it has an important parts in it. Soooo…. Ummm… if you don't like lemons just read the quotes I guess haha.

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Eleven~

Sango sighed and leaned against Miroku's shoulder. She held the letter Kagome wrote in her hand.

"Shall I read it out loud?" Miroku asked. Sango nodded and handed the note to him.

_Sango and Miroku,_

_I'm sorry to leave you like this, but I can no longer stand the way Inuyasha treats me. I will not be going home, I've said my goodbyes to my family the last time I was home. I will not be returning home until I restore the Shikon no Tama. I will be working on my own from now on. While I will miss you both very much, I ask that you continue to travel with Inuyasha. Kikyou cannot be trusted and Inuyasha is either to blind or too stupid to see it. I need you to keep an eye on them for me. There aren't that many shards left anymore, soon the final battle will come. Naraku and I have the biggest chunks so he will make his move soon. Once Inuyasha realizes that I still have the shards he'll come after me as well. Don't worry, you've both taught me well, I can take care of this. Thanks to Inuyasha, you both know that I am pregnant… If this journey lasts too long and I have to stop, I will return to the village and have my baby. Once I am strong enough I will continue the journey. If something happens to me… I'd like the two of you to raise my baby and Shippo in my place. I love you both like family. Sango, my sister, brave and strong, the best friend I could have ever wished for. Never give upon Kohaku, he will return to you one day and he will need your love to get through the pain. Miroku, my wise and perverted brother, you will beat the void that curses your hand. You will beat it and avenge your family, and you and Sango will get married and have tons of children. I love and miss you both. If the fates are on our side, I'll see you again._

_Love, _

_Kagome_

Sango sobbed into Miroku's shoulder as he finished reading the letter. Miroku wrapped her up in a comforting embrace.

"Don't worry Sango, we will see her again." Miroku gazed at the starry night sky. "I'm sure of it."

~With Inuyasha~

Inuyasha rolled over, pulling himself out of Kikyou, gasping for air.

"What has you so angry, Inuyasha?" Kikyou questioned.

"Keh, that bitch Kagome fucked my bastard brother"

"What does that matter?" Kikyou's voice grew colder.

"The traitor fucked my second biggest enemy! AND" his voice rose, "She's pregnant! That fucking slut had the balls to call you a slut. Keh, I kicked the bitch out of the group, threw her ass out. She ain't useful pregnant anyways."

"Pregnant?" Kikyou hissed. That copy of hers gets everything. She has a flesh body, most of _her_ soul, friends that should be _hers… and_ she even has an adopted son. And now the whore was going to have a child? This was not acceptable. The child was not allowed to live, Kagome can't have a baby. Kikyou hissed again but stopped abruptly as an idea came to mind.

"Inuyasha," she purred as she straddled the hanyou. He groaned as she rubbed against his member. "Wouldn't it be _wonderful_" she grinded against him "If we had a child of our own?"

"Yes…of course." He moaned.

"As you already know, I can't have a child in this clay body…" She stopped grinding and gripped him. " but… there is a way to get a baby." She stroked him, giving him a small squeeze.

"Nnn, how's that?" Inuyasha asked, distracted by her actions.

"We take Kagome's child. All we need to do is catch her and keep her locked up until she has the baby."

"What makes you think I want that bastard's child?"

"Hmmmm," Kikyou stroked faster, causing his breath to hitch, "You have two choices then. Either you take the child that is his and make it yours, or," Kikyou positioned herself over him and slid him inside "You can kill the child, and use Kagome to make another from your own loins."

"Sounds good to me" Inuyasha growled. He flipped her over and began to thrust into her, sealing the "Deal" with their rutting.

~End of chapter Eleven~

Ok… So Inuyasha is officially a bad guy now, no question about it… so no complaints cuz I'm not changing anything about my story… don't like it… don't read it.

Chapter twelve will be coming soon… I'll probably update my other stories first though.


	13. Chapter Twelve

Here is chapter Twelve peeps! I'm sorry to have waited so long to update, I've been busy with other stuff, but I've updated my other stories and I'm posting this update and will probably post the next few chapters like I've done before. By the way, if you find any grammar or spelling mistakes feel free to let me know so I can go back and fix them.

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Twelve~

"All done Mama!" Shippo chirped as he hopped off of her lap.

"Thank you honey," She glanced at her newly bandaged shoulder with approval. "You've done very well."

Shippo's chest swelled with pride. She laughed and tapped his nose before picking him up and standing. She headed towards the east, away from the hot spring they were previously sitting by.

After she had fought with Inuyasha, she had picked up her things and Shippo and headed towards the stream. She wrote her goodbyes to Sango and Miroku and had Shippo dress the wounds on her shoulder. She didn't know where to go, she didn't know what she was going to do. She simply kept walking. A hand slipped down to her stomach.

'_I'm pregnant… with Sesshoumaru's child.' _A sense of worry flooded through her. Should she tell Sesshoumaru? What will he do if he finds out? Many scenarios played through her head. He had a hatred for hanyou… how would he react if he found out he himself has sired one? Would he kill the baby? Would he take the baby away from her? _'No…'_ Kagome shook her head _'he's better than that… I know it.' _She could never fall in love with a man that killed his own children. Still, Kagome worried. It was only supposed to be a one night stand… no strings attached… _'This is one hell of a string,'_ she thought. Sesshoumaru didn't want a relationship, let alone a _child._ Kagome sighed and stopped walking. As she looked around she realized that the sun had already set and Shippo slept peacefully in her arms.

Kagome sighed and placed Shippo in a sleeping bag before making camp. She crawled in beside him and closed her eyes. There was no use losing sleep over it. A few minutes later she was asleep… dreaming of silver headed babies with gold and blue eyes and a certain Inu Taiyoukai.

He flew through the forests, heading towards the village his brother's pack frequented. His inner youkai demanded he go faster.

**Hurry! Hurry! Must find Mate!** Sesshoumaru's demon roared as he sped towards the small village he had left Rin in. He had been traveling just short of an hour and was mere moments away from reaching his destination. The Youki cloud dispersed as his feet touched the ground at the border of the village.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin rushed towards him with a smile on her face.

"Rin, where is Kagome?" He could not smell her.

"Rin hasn't seen Kagome-chan in a long time!" She paused and tilted her head. "Kagome-chan and Shippo-kun haven't been home since the day after Sesshoumaru-sama's last visit. Did Sesshoumaru-sama need something from Kagome-chan?"

"Where did she go?"

"Anoooooo," Rin bit her lip; a habit she picked up whenever she had trouble remembering something. "Rin thinks Kaede-sama said they were heading North."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "I will visit another time, Rin." He took off towards the Northern border. He needed to find her, fast. If she had crossed the Northern boarders in her traveling which was very likely seeing as she had been traveling for over a month, then she was in enemy territory.

**Mate!** His demon growled. **FIND MATE! Return to mate!**

'_Kagome, where are you?'_

~End of Chapter Twelve~

Ok! It's the day before Christmas and I have a few things I need to get done but if I have time later I'll type up and post the next chapter ok?


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Ok! Here's chapter Thirteen! I'm working on writing chapter fourteen right now in my notebook… well, I'm deciding whether or not to end it where I have it or keep going… so I either have chapter fourteen done or almost done haha.

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Thirteen~

Kagome sighed as she relaxed in the hot spring. She and Shippo had been on their own for a week now. There had been a few attacks, but overall they'd had no big disturbances from demons.

"Mama?" Shippo called as he doggy paddled past her. She smiled at him.

"Yes?"

"Are you really going to have a baby?"

Kagome paused. She knew he'd bring it up sometime. He hadn't said anything about the fight she and Inuyasha had since it happened. "Yes."

"And it's really Sesshoumaru's baby?"

"Mhm" she bit her lip.

"Does that mean your Sesshoumaru's mate?"

"Well," Kagome paused. "You see…. Ugh… hold that thought." Kagome leaped out of the spring, while talking to Shippo she had caught whiff of something awful, perhaps a rotting animal corpse. After she finished retching she returned to the spring.

'_That's odd. I scouted the area before getting in, I didn't see anything rotting…'_ Kagome's sense of smell had gotten a lot more sensitive over the past month. _'Must be a side effect from the pregnancy.' _She thought.

"Are you sick mama?" Shippo's question brought her out of her thoughts.

"No, baby…. When women are pregnant they throw up sometimes."

"Oh."

"Come on, let's get dried off and dressed, we'll set camp in that clearing we passed."

**MATE!** His beast roared. He had finally found her scent. By the looks of it, it was an old camp. He took in her faded scent. He paused, there was something different about her scent. It only took a moment for the realization to dawn on him.

'_She's pregnant.'_

**Pup?** His beast roared with pride.

Sesshoumaru cursed. His mate was pregnant with his heir and in enemy territory. He himself had passed the Northern border a day ago.

Sesshoumaru was about to take off in the direction her scent lead in when his nose caught another change in her scent.

'_She's injured.'_ He snarled. Who dared touch what was his? He would find his mate, find out who touched her, and rip out their throats.

~End of Chapter Thirteen~

Ok…. I'll be back to updating after Christmas most likely. Here's the order in which I will be doing this:

1: A Lily for Peter Chapter 2

2: A Lily for Peter Chapter 3

3: Forbidden Roses chapter 5 rewrite

4: Puppy Love Chapter 13

5: Puppy Love Chapter 14

6: Family Matters Chapter 14

7: Family Matters Chapter 15

8: Family Matters Chapter 16

9: Dungeon Chapter 8

So now you have an idea of what I'll be posting before posting the next chapters of Family Matters…. But I promise it won't be as long as it seems… I'm on break from school till Jan. so other than work I have plenty of free time to work on my stories.


	15. Chapter Fourteen

UGH! I'm sick… feel gross… but I'm gonna type up the next chapter cuz I'm nice like that haha… plus I don't have to think… just type what I've already written haha. Anyways… here's the next chapter!

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Fourteen~

If it hadn't been for the sound of a snapping twig, Kagome would have been unaware of the wolf pack surrounding their makeshift camp.

Kagome cursed and transformed her weapons. Shippo whimpered in her lap. Kagome felt bad for her little kit, he was constantly in danger. There were a lot of them, more than a normal wolf pack. They had to be a demon pack. The demonic wolf pack of the North had no humanoid members. They refused to collaborate with the other tribes and found no use for humanoid forms. The northern wolf tribe was nothing but a bunch of bloodthirsty demons.

Bloodthirsty demons whose territory she had Shippo must have unknowingly wandered into.

The wolf closest to them snarled and crouched to attack. He leapt at them without a second thought. Kagome rolled out of the way an brought Shironeko down across it's back. The beast howled as it disintegrated.

The rest of the wolves snapped as they watched their companion fall. Kagome barely had the time to stand before they all attacked at once. Kagome managed to cut down the first three without injury but the fourth wolf managed to latch onto her leg and drag her to the ground. Kagome let out a scream as it's fangs sliced through her skin.

"MAMA!" Shippo screamed as he was thrown off of her shoulder. Kagome cursed again, wincing as another wolf set its fangs into her other leg. She destroyed the two wolves with another swipe of Shironeko and stabbed the wolf who aimed it's bloodthirsty fangs at her neck. She dragged herself up from the ground, killing another wolf in the process, and moved towards Shippo.

"Shippo, don't move, ok?" Shippo nodded from his place on the ground. Kagome raised Kuroneko and stabbed it into the ground beside him. The blade glowed red.

Another beast leapt towards them, this time aiming for Shippo. The angry beast howled in pain as its body caught on fire. Kagome smiled at her son before turning to the wolves. They were still surrounded, and severely outnumbered. Kagome wasn't sure how much longer her bloodied legs could carry her.

The wolves broke out in a series of triumphant howls. The howls sent shivers down her spine. They were nothing like the lonely howl she heard the morning she left the village. While that howl gave the feeling of lonliness and the search of companionship, these howls were bloodthirsty and of the thrill of a kill.

Kagome placed a hand on her stomach. She couldn't lose her baby, she just found out about it! Sesshoumaru didn't even know he was a father!

'_Sesshoumaru…'_

A thundering roar cut off the howls of the demonic wolf pack.

Sesshoumaru crashed through the trees and sank his fangs into the nearest wolf. The wolf's yelps were cut off as its ribcage and spine were crushed. The sickening crunch echoed in the clearing. Sesshoumaru flung the lifeless body to the side and continued his onslaught. He disposed of the wolves one by one until their crushed and broken bodies littered the ground of the clearing.

He turned to Kagome in time to see her collapse to the ground, unable to hold onto consciousness any longer. He quickly changed form and moved to her side.

"Mama!" he turned to look at the whimpering kit.

Sesshoumaru lifted Kagome into his arms cradling her limp form to his own. He picked up the fallen sword beside her, ignoring the slight sting, and picked up the sword sticking out of the ground. Both swords transformed and he placed the tiny pieces of metal in a small pocket in his haori.

"Come, Kit." Shippo hesitated. He was unsure about Sesshoumaru's intentions.

Unwilling to wait for the kit to make up his mind, Sesshoumaru picked up the kit and placed him on his shoulder.

Sesshoumaru left the corpse filled clearing.

He finally had his mate. She was hurt, but she, the kit, and their unborn child were still alive, and that's what mattered.

Kagome shifted as she drifted in and out of consciousness. It was as if her mind wasn't quite sure whether or not it wanted to wake up yet. As she tried to turn over, jolts of pain shot up her legs, causing her to stop her attempts and whimper. Her legs hurt… they _throbbed…_ what happened to her legs? Kagome began to awaken, but kept her eyes closed, unwilling to leave the peaceful darkness she'd be leaving behind.

As she laid there, eyes closed, Kagome began to notice that her sleeping bag was _moving…_one could even say… _vibrating. _Come to think of it… Kagome realized… this didn't even feel like her sleeping bag. _'And what is that rumbling?'_ she thought.

Kagome moved to sit up, eyes still refusing to open. More pain shot through her legs, causing another whimper to escape her lips.

"Lay still Kagome."

Kagome froze and tensed up. She knew that voice, she'd know it anywhere.

"Sesshoumaru!" she gasped. Memories of the previous night flooded through her mind. Her eyes shot open and she took in her surroundings. She found herself lying back against Sesshoumaru's chest in between his legs. One of his legs were propped up by her left side, the other fully stretched out on her right. Kagome had also been wrapped up in the fluffy white boa that usually adorned his shoulder.

She noticed that they were no longer in the clearing from the night before. Shippo was coloring contentedly next to her bag a few feet away.

She also noticed that her legs had been bandaged. The white pieces of fabric were wrapped up to her lower thighs.

Yes, Kagome noticed all of these things in the minute she took to take in her surroundings… but the thing she noticed first, the thing that caught her attention, was the fact that both of Sesshoumaru's hands rested gently, if not possessively, over her stomach.

'He knows.'

~End of Chapter 14~

Ok, that's it for tonight! I hope you enjoyed!


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Alright! I know it's been a long time since I updated this one… but I have a semi-good reason!... I lost my notebook… hehe (^.^') Aaaaaaaanyways…. I decided not to do the notebook anymore cuz I keep loosing the frikken thing. So from now on I'll just be getting on and freewriting it like my other stories.

Ok… on with the story!

~Family Matters~

~Chapter 15~

Kagome tried to sit up again, but Sesshoumaru pulled her back against his chest. He leaned his head down, lips brushing against her ear.

"I said, lie still." He gave her lobe a nip, causing her to shiver.

"Se-Sesshoumaru, I…" she paused. She didn't know what to say. What could she say? 'I'm sorry I didn't tell you'? 'Congratulations daddy'? 'I know you hate hanyou but please don't take/kill our baby'? All of them sounded dumb… especially that last one. "I-"

"You do not need to explain." Sesshoumaru interrupted. "It is I that needs to explain things to you."

"W-What?" Kagome asked. "Oh god, I need to-" Kagome covered her mouth.

Sesshoumaru understood immediately. In a flash they were across the clearing and he was supporting her from behind as she emptied her stomach. When she was done he turned her around to face him.

"Are you alright?"

"I feel lightheaded."

"You lost a lot of blood. Your body is struggling to maintain care to both your wounds and our pup." Again, he caressed her stomach. "This is why you must rest. If you overexert youself or are too stressed you will collapse again and may lose our child."

'Our child'… Kagome couldn't put into words how relieved… how _happy_ those words made her feel.

Sesshoumaru picked her up and returned to the spot they had been previously sitting in.

Kagome shifted in his arms, finally relaxing against him as she got comfortable. "So what did you want to tell me?"

Sesshoumaru didn't answer right away, as if he was thinking of the right words to say. "Tell me, Kagome, have your senses gotten stronger lately?"

"Well, now that you mention it I guess they have."

"Do you know why?"

Kagome shrugged. "I guess it's because I'm pregnant right? I mean I've heard stories from my time about how even the tiniest hint of something would make pregnant women vomit."

"It is because you are transforming."

"What?"

Sesshoumaru gently _fingered_ the bite mark on her neck and the mark on her hip through her clothes. "Do you know what these are?"

"That's where you bit me when we were…" she trailed off as her face reddened. "They're just bite and nail marks though… I didn't really mind-"

"These marks claim you as Lady of the Western Lands… and as my mate."

Kagome gasped.

"I lost control of my demon that night and marked you as my own. I apologize for my foolishness. Had I known the intensity of my inner youkai's interest in you I would not have been foolish enough to act as I did."

Kagome stiffened. _'He's apologizing… for sleeping with me? He regrets it that much?' _

"Had I known my inner youkai's intentions… I would have courted you thoroughly and eased you into the position that I have forced you into now."

"Huh? You mean… you don't… regret… sleeping with me?"

"Hn, not in the slightest. I am not so ignorant to question my inner youkai's decisions. It has chosen you as it's mate and I agree… though had I known earlier I would have done things differently."

Kagome sighed in relief, relaxing against him again.

"Your senses are stronger because my youki has been flowing through you, transforming and preparing you."

"Preparing me?"

"My kind have a particularly complex pregnancy and birthing process. Without my youki to prepare your body, both you and our child would die. My kind infuses their youki with their mates in order to protect them."

"So… what will happen to me during this transformation?" Kagome asked.

"That… I do not know. None of my kind has ever mated with a miko before."

Kagome felt her chest tighten. "So," she gasped out… she clutched her chest… it was getting harder to breathe.

Sensing her panic, Sesshoumaru let out a low growl and rubbed her neck. "You need to stay calm Kagome." He warned.

Kagome ignored him and continued on. "If my transformation doesn't go right…" she sobbed "I'll lose the baby."


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Alright! So, I just thought I'd let you know… I'm NOT going to end any of my stories earlier than planned…. I just decided to suck it up and work on my stories whenever possible. So… yeah ignore that last chapter haha. Anyways here's a little snippet as an apology XD

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Sixteen~

"Kagome… Kagome wake up." Sesshoumaru called.

"Hm?" Kagome opened her eyes. She had cried herself to sleep after discovering that she could lose her unborn child. "What's going on?"

"I must leave you for a time."

"What? Why?"

"I am going to hunt. You need to eat."

"Alright." Kagome said, closing her eyes again.

"You need to stay awake Kagome. You need to be alert while I am gone. If something goes wrong, just call for me."

"Mmmmkay." She said.

"Kagome."

She sighed and opened her eyes. "Sorry, I'm awake, I promise."

Sesshoumaru nodded. With a final look around the clearing, and then back at her, he left.

Shippo climbed carefully into Kagome's lap.

"Mama?"

"Yes sweety?" She gave him a weak smile.

"Why were you crying earlier?"

Kagome frowned. "I'm just scared."

"Why?"

"Because… well… the baby might not make it."

"Oh." Shippo frowned, but smiled again and gave her a stomach a hug. "You better hang in there baby… we've got lots of things to do when you get here!" he looked at Kagome. "He says he'll try! Don't worry Mama… he'll be alright!"

Kagome smiled and pulled Shippo to her chest. She kissed his forehead. "Thanks honey. I'm sure he will."

"I drew some pictures for you while you were sleeping. Wanna see them?" Shippo asked.

"Of course I do!"

Shippo scampered off to grab his pictures. When he returned he handed them to her.

The first one she saw was a picture of her with a giant stomach. "Wow! That's a big tummy!"

"My daddy said that when my birth mother was pregnant with me her tummy grew bigger and bigger."

"I don't think my tummy will get that big though hun."

"Oh… well that's good… It'd be pretty hard to walk with a tummy that big." Kagome laughed and looked at the next picture.

It was of her, Sesshoumaru, Shippo, and a little silver haired baby. Kagome smiled. "It's beautiful Shippo."

"Really?"

Kagome nodded and pulled him in for another hug. "Thank you sweetheart. I love them."

Sesshoumaru returned a few minutes later with a buck thrown over his shoulder.

"Welcome back." Kagome smiled shyly at him. He nodded at her before dumping the buck on the ground and relighting the campfire in the middle of the tiny clearing. Once the fire was lit he began to skin the buck.

Kagome looked away as he did so, the disemboweling of a deer was not something a pregnant woman like her could see without vomiting. She talked with Shippo to distract herself from the sound of tearing flesh and the smell of blood and waste. When Sesshoumaru was done, he began to cook the deer meat. As it cooked over the campfire he moved to dispose of the entrails. When he was finished he approached Kagome with the cooked deer meat. Kagome was amazed that the Taiyoukai managed to do all of this without getting _anything_ on his pristine clothes.

"Thank you." She said taking the offered food. Sesshoumaru then handed Shippo some food and sat down beside Kagome. "So," she said between tentative bites, "what happens now?"

"We will wait for your wounds to fully heal, then we will return to the Western Lands."

"Alright. I still have a few questions…"

"Save them for later. Now eat. You need to get your strength back as soon as possible."

Kagome nodded and took another bite of her food.

~Elsewhere~

Sango let out a frustrated sigh.

"Sango, are you alright?" Miroku asked.

"No, I'm worried sick! The only thing Kagome asked of us when she left was to keep an eye on Inuyasha, and we haven't seen him since the night she left! What if he chased her down? What if she's hurt? Or… dead?" Miroku placed his arm around her shoulders.

"I am sure Kagome is fine. Inuyasha is probably with Kikyou right now."

"That's just as bad! We can't keep an eye on someone we don't know the location of! What if he's run off with Kikyou for good? They could be searching for the shards on their own."

"All we can do is wait."

"No… what we can do…what we _should_ do is go back to Kaede, tell her what's going on, and look for the shards on our own. If Kagome goes back to the village Kaede can tell her what happened. If Inuyasha is still looking for the shards… we're bound to run into him if we look for them too."

Miroku sighed. "Very well, but at least wait a few more days, just to be sure that Inuyasha isn't coming back."

Sango nodded.

"Alright. Three days."

~With Inuyasha~

Inuyasha growled in frustration. "What the hell Kikyo? I thought we were going after that bitch Kagome, now you want me to go back to the group?"

Kikyou nodded. "If anyone knows what Kagome's plans are it's those two. You just need to stay long enough to find out what Kagome's plans are. She wouldn't have left them without some sort of explanation. Once we find out her plans we'll track her down ourselves."

"Fine," Inuyasha growled.

"We will have her soon enough… now go."

Inuyasha bounded off into the forest, heading back to the group.

~End of Chapter Sixteen~

Alright… snippet done. I hope you liked my apology haha.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Seventeen~

"Ah!" Kagome winced as she stood. Sesshoumaru was immediately by her side to aid her but halted as she shook her head and held up her hand to stop him. "I'm alright." She put her hand on her stomach, it hadn't even been two months yet and she was starting to show. It wasn't a baby belly yet, it just looked like a few extra pounds, but it was still a little early for even _that_. She took a hesitant step forward, testing the strength of her legs, they would hold for now.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome bit her lip as she leaned against him and took another step. "Um…. How long is a typical pregnancy in Inu Youkai?"

"It differs depending on the parents."

"How so?"

"A full blooded Inu Youkai male and female have a pregnancy period of thirteen months."

Kagome's eyes widened. "_Thirteen months!?" _she squeaked.

"Yes, but if an Inu Youkai male were to mate with a female of another Youkai race it often varies between the Inu pregnancy term and the other race's terms. It is the same with a female. How long is the Human term?"

"Nine months!" Kagome said.

"Ah, if I recall correctly Inuyasha remained in his mother's womb just short of a year."

"_What?! _How can I stay pregnant for a _year?!" _Kagome's voice filled with panic. "I'm already showing and it's only been two months!"

"Physically our pup will develop quite fast, in about six months it will be fully developed, the rest of the pregnancy is needed to develop the pup's ki and form a bond with both you and I. If the pup is born too early and the bonds and Ki are not formed it will not survive long."

Kagome paled. In six months… _six months _she'll be huge and waddling… for possibly another six. Her knees buckled and Sesshoumaru pulled her into his arms.

It made sense, when she thought about it, Youkai certainly age much slower than humans, why wouldn't the pregnancies take longer? But being pregnant for a year, if not more? Could she really do it? She hadn't even been pregnant for a full two months yet, and she'd already endangered the baby's life and nearly miscarried.

"Kagome, you need not worry."

"Not worry? I nearly killed our baby after only a month and three weeks… who knows what kind of damage I'll do in a year?!"

Sesshoumaru growled and nipped at her nose causing her to squeal in shock. "You did _not_ nearly kill our pup. Those damned beasts that _dared_ touch what is mine nearly killed our pup. Something that will _not_ happen again. I am here now, and I will not allow any more harm to come to you, or our pups."

"Pups?" Kagome whispered. Perhaps he had misspoke?

Sesshoumaru looked pointedly towards the other side of the clearing where Shippo scampered into view carrying a sloppily tied bundle of fish.

"Look Mama! I caught some fish!" He cheered coming up to them.

"Wow sweety! You caught a whole bunch!" She gushed.

"Sesshoumaru-sama taught me!" He looked at Sesshoumaru hopefully for approval.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Well done, pup."

Kagome's heart swelled. Her grin grew wider. In the past week she had noticed both Sesshoumaru and Shippo disappear for hours at a time, but she had only assumed that Sesshoumaru went hunting and Shippo had gone off to play nearby. Now that she looked, she could see the admiration and respect shining in her little Shippo's eyes. She looked at Sesshoumaru and caught a hint of pride in his eyes as he inspected the bundle of fish Shippo had brought back. They were accepting each other.

They were becoming a family.

'_Family.'_ She thought rubbing the small baby bump . '_We're becoming a family.'_ Another thought crossed her mind. _'I have to tell Mama about this. It's not right to keep it from her for so long.'_ She shifted in Sesshoumaru's hold catching his attention.

"Is something wrong Kagome?" He asked.

"Well, It's just that," She bit her lip, "I have to tell my family back home about being pregnant." She looked up at him. "It's just not right to keep it from them."

Sesshoumaru's hold tightened on her. "You wish to leave me?"

"No! Of course not! I," she blushed, "I've wanted to be with you even before we-" her blush deepened and she bit her lip again.

"I do wish you wouldn't treat such luscious lips as yours so harshly. If anyone were to bite them I'd much rather it be me." He smirked. "Then again, the action itself is very tantalizing." He dipped his head lower and captured her lips with his own.

It was the first kiss they'd shared since the night they'd conceived their pup. It was filled with the passion and desperation they'd both felt over the past few months. When he pulled away Kagome unconsciously bit her lip again causing him to chuckle. Once she realized why he was laughing she giggled as well.

Shippo watched them curiously before turning away to prepare the fish he caught.

"You were saying?" Sesshoumaru asked as his chuckles faded.

"I just want to visit my family back home and let them know I'm alright and that I'm pregnant."

"While I understand your feelings, I'm reluctant to let you leave my side." His expression hardened a bit as he continued. "Letting you go alone to a world where I cannot reach you and is full of dangers unknown to myself is something I do not wish to do."

Kagome nodded in understanding. "Still, I have to go." She looked up at him hopefully. "Maybe you could go with me!"

He raised a brow. "Is that possible?"

"Well Inuyasha-" she winced as the name passed through her lips. She quickly recovered, hoping that he didn't notice and continued in a hurried voice "can go through the well so I don't see why you couldn't. It's at least worth a try right?"

"Hn, very well." He agreed, "We will try, but you must promise me that if I cannot go through the well you will return to me immediately."

"Cross my heart!"

"Hm?"

"Oh, it's a saying from my time… it means I promise."

"Good." He nodded in acceptance. "Now, tell me, what has Inuyasha done?"

Kagome winced and mentally cursed. He'd noticed her hesitation.

"What do you mean?" she asked trying to play dumb.

"Kagome," he admonished.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Very well." He sat down crossed legged on the ground and placed her in his lap. "Shippo, come."

The little kit scurried up to them. Sesshoumaru picked him up by the scruff and placed him in Kagome's lap.

"Tell me Shippo, has Inuyasha done anything bad to you or your mama?"

Shippo whimpered and buried his face into Kagome's stomach.

"It's alright, Shippo." Sesshoumaru gently pulled his face away from Kagome's stomach. "Tell me what happened."

"I-inuyasha hurt mama before we left. He was angry because she has the baby. He attacked her and called her mean things."

Sesshoumaru growled. He looked at Kagome who seemed to be conveniently intrigued by a passing butterfly. "Kagome, look at me."

She hesitated, but did as she was told.

"Where did he hurt you?"

She gently touched her shoulder. Sesshoumaru cursed and growled again. He had known that she was injured before the wolf attack, but he hadn't thought that his bastard of a brother had been the one to do it.

"I will take pleasure in ripping him to shreds." He growled.

Shippo went back to hiding his face in Kagome's stomach and took in the mixed scent of his mama and his new papa and visibly relaxed. Sesshoumaru wouldn't let anything happen to him or his mama ever again.

"Get some rest." Sesshoumaru said. "We'll leave for your well in the morning."

"Are you sure? I mean, it's not too soon?" Kagome asked as she glanced down at her legs. She had been healing a lot faster than usual, but Sesshoumaru's warnings stuck with her.

If she overexerted herself while healing, she'd lose the baby.

"The well is only two day's travel from here. It will take us four, and I will carry you the entire way. If we are careful, I see no problem with leaving tomorrow."

Kagome settled back, reassured. She couldn't wait to see her mother.

She always wanted grandbabies… and this one could have puppy ears or a tail.

Kagome giggled to herself at the thought of her mother's reaction. _'Mama would love that!'_

And so would she, she realized. Then again, she'd love her child no matter what it looked like.

'_You have to make it, little one, you have so much love waiting for you.'_

~End of Chapter~


	19. Chapter Eighteen

~Family Matters~

~Chapter Eighteen~

Kagome simply sat on the floor of the well bewildered. She couldn't believe it.

"Kagome?" Sesshoumaru called from the top of the well. She looked up at him. "It is safe,"

Kagome laughed. "I told you, it's perfectly safe here."

Sesshoumaru gave her a skeptical look, then he was beside her, on bended knee. It was cramped in the tiny well, but Kagome didn't mind being so close to Sesshoumaru. He scooped her up into his arms and with a single leap they were out of the well.

"Hmm? Are we there yet?" Shippo murmured in Kagome's arms.

"Yes, we're here." Kagome laughed. "Welcome to the future baby boy." She tapped his nose, "It'll be a bit stinky at first, your noses will have to get used to it. If you feel dizzy make sure to breathe through your mouth ok?" Shippo nodded and climbed onto her shoulder.

Sesshoumaru put her down on her feet and pulled her against his chest.

"Are you ready?" Kagome asked him. "It's a big change."

Sesshoumaru nodded.

Kagome led them up the stairs of the well house and out into the shrine grounds. Shippo sneezed and covered his nose. Kagome felt Sesshoumaru stiffen, but otherwise there was no change in his demeanor. It was then that Kagome herself caught a whiff of the twenty first century.

"Oh god!" Kagome covered her nose and swooned a moment. Sesshoumaru turned her around in his arms. She pressed her face into his haori and took a deep breath, taking in his scent. As she exhaled, she realized Sesshoumaru was doing the same thing with her own scent. After a moment she pulled away. "Sorry, I didn't think about my heightened sense of smell." She smiled sheepishly. Her smile disappeared, "Ick, I think I'm gonna vomit."

"Momma?" Shippo asked, pinching his nose. "How come it stinks so much?"

"Well," Kagome started as she lead them across the shrine grounds and towards the house, "as our technology grew, so did the pollution."

"Pollution?"

"Mhm, smoke, chemicals, and waste, that's what you're smelling."

"Oh, I don't like the smell here." Shippo shook his head.

"Don't worry sweetheart, we'll only be here a little while."

Kagome opened the door and called out to her family.

"Helloooooooo? I'm hooooooooome!"

Kagome laughed as she heard a thump and scrambling from the second floor.

"Sis!" Souta scrambled into view at the top of the stairs. He bolted down the stairs and launched himself towards his sister's welcoming arms. Sesshoumaru caught him by the scruff of his shirt in midair.

"You will refrain from hurdling yourself at my pregnant mate."

"Woah!" Souta hung from Sesshoumaru's grasp and stared at him in awe. "AWESOME!"

"Sesshoumaru, put him down please."

Sesshoumaru put him down.

"That was so cool! Sesshoumaru huh? Isn't that the name of Inuyasha's brother? You're so much cooler! Is that a tail?! Do you have a special move like he does? I'm sure you do, I mean you look so cool! Are those real tattoos? I thought you and Inuyasha didn't like each other? Do you want to play video games, oh, you probably don't know what that is. So why are you here? Oh wow what's that on your shoulder Kagome? Is that a kid? Oh wow you have a tail too? WAIT!" Souta took a deep breath. "Did you just say Kagome's pregnant?"

Sesshoumaru raised a brow at Kagome. She shrugged and smiled sheepishly.

"Souta, where's mom?"

"Mom? She went to the store half an hour ago, she should be back any minute- Hey mom!"

"Hello Souta dear, Kagome! I'm so happy to see you! Oh? And who do we have here?"

"Mom, this is Shippo, I've told you about him."

"Ooooooh! My first grandbaby!" Asako squealed. "He's adorable!"

Kagome smiled. "And this, is Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"Oh! Is that a tail?"

"That's what I wanted to know!"

"Helloooooo? Trying to have a conversation here?" Kagome sighed.

"I'm sorry dear, go on."

"Well, mom, Souta, Sesshoumaru and I are…. Well we're mated."

"Mated dear?"

"It's kind of like the demon version of getting married." Kagome shuffled nervously.

Asako looked at her daughter, then at the Silver haired demon, then back at her daughter.

"MY BABY GOT MARRIED!" she squealed and hugged her daughter. She then rushed over to Sesshoumaru and hugged him too. Kagome held back her laughs at the sight of her mother hugging Sesshoumaru…

"So you're not upset?"

"Upset? Why would I be? As long as you're happy then I am happy too." She gave another excited squeal, "I can't wait for more grandbabies!" she laughed, plucking Shippo from Kagome's shoulder and showered him with kisses. The little kit was a giggling mess as his new grandmother tickled him.

"Um, yeah," Kagome bit her lip, "About that… Mama," She took Shippo back and held him close. "Mama I'm pregnant."

Asako squealed in delight and hugged her daughter. "Congratulations!" She turned and hugged Sesshoumaru again. "How far are you?" She asked placing a hand on Kagome's stomach. "Oooooooooh! You're already getting a little baby belly!" she giggled.

"I'm about a month and three weeks."

"Really?! Oh my, you shouldn't be showing so soon…"

"Yeah well, it turns out InuYoukai babies develop much faster than human babies. Not just that, but I could be pregnant for up to thirteen months." Kagome paled a bit as she explained the pregnancy to her mother.

"Oh my!" Asako's eyes widened. "I guess you won't be having the baby here then," she had a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"I'm sorry mama, I can't." Kagome teared up a bit. "I just came to tell you the news. I won't be coming back."

"Why?" It wasn't Asako who asked, but Sesshoumaru.

"W-what?" Kagome stuttered, confused.

"Why would you not return? Surely you'll wish to visit when our child is born if not before?" he asked.

"I thought that I wouldn't be able to come back…" she trailed off.

"I would not be so selfish as to keep my mate from her family." Sesshoumaru wrapped an arm around her, placing a hand on her stomach. "Whenever you wish to visit I will bring you."

Kagome smiled and leaned against him. "Thank you." She whispered.

"How about I make us some tea?" Asako offered.

"That would be lovely." Kagome smiled.

~End of Chapter~


	20. Chapter Nineteen

~Chapter Nineteen~

~Family Matters~

"Careful!" Sesshoumaru admonished, catching Kagome as she fell backwards.

"Sorry," She blushed.

"Our travels would go much faster and smoother if you'd let me carry you." Sesshoumaru growled.

"It's not my fault our child doesn't like to fly." Kagome argued.

"Hn, it is not our child that does not like to fly, it is you."

"It is because I'm _pregnant_ with our child that I get nauseas when you take off into the air. It's even worse when you run, dodging back and forth between the trees." Kagome paled at the thought.

"Very well." Sesshoumaru acquiesced, noting the color draining from her face. "We shall continue to walk, but you must take breaks frequently."

Kagome sighed and nodded. "Are you sure this is alright? We spent a week in that clearing, four days traveling to the well, and a week with my family. Now we're heading to your lands at a snail's pace because of me. Can you really be away from your duties for so long?"

"I admit, we have been delayed for longer than I had planned, but there is nothing to be done about it now. I cannot risk you or our pup's health."

Kagome sighed. "Is this how it's going to be from now on? I'm just going to be a burden?" She pouted.

"You are not a burden." Sesshoumaru stopped her, making her sit down on a fallen log for a break. "And no, it will not always be like this." He smirked. "Once you are at the palace you will be pampered endlessly."

Kagome's pout disappeared and was replaced with a small smile. "I don't need to be pampered." She murmured. "I just need to be with you, and our children." Her eyes snapped over to the direction they had been heading. "Speaking of our children… Shippo! Don't wander too far! Do you hear me?"

"Yes mama!" Shippo's voice answered her from somewhere ahead.

"He is safe. There is nothing around that will harm him." Sesshoumaru assured.

"I know… I can sense it too." Kagome scrunched her nose, "And something stinks! I thought super demonic senses would be cool… but so far they've done nothing but aid in my nausea." Her face paled more.

Sesshoumaru pulled her into his arms, "Just focus on my scent. You will learn to control them in time."

Kagome inhaled deeply. "I'm alright." She pulled away and used his forearms to lift herself up. "We should keep moving."

Sesshoumaru gave her a skeptical look but she ignored him and took a step in the direction they had been heading.

Kagome winced, hoping Sesshoumaru did not notice. He did.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing! It's just, I'm still a little… sore." She murmured, looking away.

Sesshoumaru frowned.

"I'm sorry." He murmured.

Kagome shook her head. It wasn't the first time he apologized, she didn't like making him feel guilty.

"It's not your fault, you couldn't have known." She placed a hand on her stomach as her mind conjured up the incident three nights ago.

"_AH!" Kagome jerked out of her sleep, the pain in her stomach was almost blinding. "Sesshoumaru!" She screamed._

_He was by her side in seconds._

"_What is wrong?"_

"_My stomach! Oh my god!" She cried. She clutched her stomach. "Something's wrong! Oh god!"_

"_Kagome?! What's wrong?!" Her mother came through her bedroom door in a panic._

"_Mama! It hurts!" Kagome cried._

"_Oh my god!" Her mother cried. "Kagome! Your stomach!"_

_Kagome looked at her stomach in a pain filled daze. It took a moment before she realized what her mother was talking about._

_Her stomach… was growing!_

_Kagome screamed as another wave of pain tore through her stomach._

"_Sesshoumaru!"_

_He wrapped his arms around her and murmured comforting words as she cried._

"_Oh please, please be okay." Kagome pleaded to her stomach._

_For what seemed like hours, the pain continued, and her stomach grew. It felt like her insides were tearing._

_Kagome vaguely remembered hearing her mother and Sesshoumaru talking. Her mother was begging him to take her to the hospital, but Sesshoumaru refused._

"_Sesshoumaru?" she whimpered. "What's happening to me?"_

_Sesshoumaru stroked her hair. "I'm sorry Kagome, this wasn't supposed to happen."_

"_What?" Kagome asked weakly._

"_I had been holding back my youki as you healed. I feared your body would not be able handle too much while healing. Because of this and the fact that I had not been there to give you more of my youki in the beginning, our pup had not been developing as fast as it should. You had healed enough that I thought your body could handle a bit more." He shifted Kagome so that she was in his lap._

_Kagome winced at the movement, but settled back. The pain had lessened a bit._

_Sesshoumaru continued. "You took more Youki than I had planned. I had not anticipated that your body would take so much, much less expedite the pup's development. Your pregnancy is now a bit further that what it would have been had I been there to give you my youki from the beginning."_

"_So basically I was in withdrawal and then overdosed on your Youki and now my pregnancy is on steroids?" Kagome asked, her voice hysterical._

"_What is steroids?" Sesshoumaru asked._

_She began hyperventilating. _

"_Kagome dear, just breathe and try to relax the best you can." Her mother soothed. "Sesshoumaru, the baby is alright then?"_

_Sesshoumaru nodded._

"_See sweetheart? Sesshoumaru says the baby is fine. Everything will be okay. I'm going to check on Souta and Shippo, I'm sure they're worried, I'll be back."_

"_It is my fault." Sesshoumaru murmured apologetically. "I did not think of the fact that our situation is different. Had you been a silver inu, or even simply youkai, this would not have happened. However you are a human and a miko. I did not think of the possibility that it would affect you differently. I am sorry, Kagome."_

_Kagome shook her head. "It was an accident, right? As long as the baby is okay, I'll be fine."_

By the time the pain had stopped, Kagome looked like she was in the middle of her second trimester.

"Shippo! Please stay in sight, you're making me worry." She called.

The shrubs ahead rustled and Shippo's grinning face popped out through the leaves.

"Sorry Mama! I'll stay close, I promise."

She smiled at him. "My curious little kit, what am I going to do with you?" She laughed.

They were interrupted by the sound of movement.

"Something's coming." Kagome picked Shippo up and held him protectively, "Sesshoumaru?"

"It is alright. I've been expecting them."

Kagome relaxed a bit.

"Who are they?"

"Our escort. We're almost there."

"Milord!" A young man came out of the brush and kneeled.

"Ryuunosuke" Sesshoumaru nodded and the man stood.

"Is everything alright Milord?"

Sesshoumaru nodded.

Ryuunosuke looked towards Kagome and bowed. "Milady, as captain I would like to welcome you on the behalf of the royal guard."

"T-thank you." She murmured blushing.

Ryuunosuke stood and gestured behind him. "If you would follow me, we have a carriage prepared to transport you the rest of the way."

Sesshoumaru nodded guided Kagome as they followed Ryuunosuke to a nearby road. Like he said, there was a large carriage along the side of the road surrounded by guards.

Sesshoumaru helped Kagome into the carriage and sat beside her, leaving Shippo to sit on the other side with her bag.

Two guards pulled the curtains closed and a few moments later they were moving.

Kagome watched Shippo pull out his crayons and coloring book from her bag. He sprawled across the seat and began coloring.

Kagome smiled and let out a sigh, leaning against Sesshoumaru. She'd never admit it, mostly because she didn't want to worry Sesshoumaru, but the journey had definitely been taking a toll on her.

It was not long before Kagome heard the carriage passing through what sounded like a village. She closed her eyes and focused on the sound.

Sesshoumaru took this time to observe her. She was pale and her ankles, no longer in need of bandages, were starting to swell. She looked tired, it was obvious that she needed sleep. He pulled her into his lap and propped her feet on the seat where she was previously sitting. She laid her head against his chest, already half asleep, struggling to stay awake.

"Sleep, Kagome."

She soon gave up her struggles and settled into unconsciousness.

When she awoke, Kagome found herself surrounded by silk pillows and sheets on a large bed. She looked around her. The silky pillows and sheets were black and silver, the bed was a canopy style with a sheer curtain surrounding it. Through the curtain Kagome could see a chest at the end of the bed, a large desk in the corner of the room, four doors including a set that looked to lead out to a balcony, and large bureau to the right of the bed. Kagome pulled aside the sheer curtain and stepped down onto the cool marbled floor. There was a table to the right of the bed, Sesshoumaru's armor was placed neatly on top of it.

'_This must be Sesshoumaru's room.'_ She thought. _'I wonder where he and Shippo are.'_

Deciding to go look for them, Kagome headed towards the closest door and opened it. It lead to a dark hallway. _'Are these… cave walls?' _She noticed it curved off out of view. Letting her curiosity get the best of her she stepped into the hallway and followed it. As she neared the end of the hallway it got brighter and easier to see the deeper she went in until it opened up into a large open area. It was a hot spring…Sesshoumaru had a personal hot spring. Kagome could see the steam rising from the crystal clear pool in the center of the cave. _'Well, it's not really a cave…' _She thought as she looked up at the blue sky. Kagome looked around and realized Sesshoumaru's palace must be built in the side of a mountain. On one side of the area it was cave like and she could see the mountain, the other she could see the forest down below and a village far off in the distance. There were exotic looking flowers growing around the pool.

"Beautiful," Kagome whispered.

Kagome headed back to Sesshoumaru's room. She ignored the next set of doors because they looked more like closet doors than an actual way out. As she reached out for the handle the door unexpectedly opened. Kagome yelped and jumped back as a girl entered the room.

"Oh!" She squeaked. "M-m-milady! I beg your pardon I did not realize that you had awoken." She bowed and nervously fidgeted.

Kagome took a moment to observe the nervous girl. She looked to be about her age, but by the look of her rounded furry ears and the long brown tail she wasn't human, so was probably much older. The girls green eyes shifted back and forth, avoiding her gaze.

Kagome smiled gently at her, "My name's Kagome. May I ask what yours is?"

"O-o-of course L-lady K-Kagome! How rude of me!"

"It's alright, and please, just call me Kagome, none of this "Lady" stuff. Now, you were saying?"

"M-my name is Saruko."

"Saruko? Hmmmm you aren't, I mean, by any chance are you a-?" Kagome couldn't find the right words.

Saruko saved her the trouble and nodded. Her tail curled around her waist and her ears twitched a bit. "Yes, I'm a saru youkai… I'm a monkey."

Kagome smiled. "Such a cute name."

Saruko looked up in surprise. "R-really?"

Kagome nodded.

Saruko smiled.

"I'm looking for Sesshoumaru, have you seen him?"

Saruko nodded. "Milord is in his study."

"Could you show me?"

Saruko shifted a moment before answering. "Milord has asked me to make sure you have eaten after you awoke."

Kagome sighed, "I guess there's no going against him is there?" she smiled. "Well, I was hoping to take a bath soon, do you suppose I could eat there? I'm not that hungry, but that hot spring looks very tempting."

"Of course mi- I mean, Lady Kagome."

Kagome sighed at the title, "Well, we'll work on it." She murmured.

"If you'd like, Lady Kagome, I will go prepare you a plate and return with some bathing supplies. What would you like to eat?"

"Hm, some onigiri would be nice, do you have any?"

"Of course Lady Kagome. If you'd like to head to the spring, I'll return shortly."

Sesshoumaru dismissed the servant sent to notify him that Kagome was now awake and eating in his hot spring and returned to his paperwork. When they had arrived at the castle he had taken her straight to his room and placing her in bed. Shippo had opted for exploring the castle, so he had one of his staff members accompany him and keep him out of trouble.

Sesshoumaru was almost finished with the backup paperwork when Jaken had finally arrived.

"Milord! You've returned at last!" he groveled.

"Jaken, send for Saruko, Ayumi, Kimiko, Minamino, and Sakura."

"Y-Yes Milord."

Sesshoumaru turned to one of his reports. It seems that there had been a few additions to his stables while he was away.

"You called Milord?"

Sesshoumaru looked up and addressed the five servants before him. He nodded.

"I am assigning you to the care and welfare of my mate and the kit. Saruko, you are to be Kagome's handmaiden."

"Yes Milord." Saruko bowed.

"Ayumi, you will be Kagome's personal guard."

"I shall protect Milady with my life." Ayumi bowed.

"Kimiko, you're to look after our Kit, Shippo."

"Yes, Milord." Kimiko bowed.

"Minamino, you will teach our kit, and my mate if need be."

"It is an honor, milord." Minamino bowed.

"Sakura, as the newest head healer of the palace, you will be looking over the welfare of Kagome and our unborn child."

Everyone's, excluding Saruko's, eyes widened it shock. "Milady is pregnant?" Sakura asked.

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"Congratulations Milord!" The five servants chorused.

"Jaken, make preparations, we will have a ball to celebrate the arrival of my mate, our official adoption of our Kit, and the upcoming arrival of the Heir to the Western Lands."

Kagome sighed as she relaxed into the hot springs. Saruko had brought her a plate of some of the best onigiri she'd ever had. Each one had something different in the middle, one was salmon, one was a pickled plum, and one had something that she didn't recognize, but it was delicious all the same. Kagome had finished them quickly along with the sweet flavored tea Saruko had brought with it. As she finished Saruko was called out for something and said she'd return shortly and took the plate and empty cup away.

Kagome finished washing at a comfortable pace and watched as the sky darkened and the stars came out.

"Lady Kagome?" she heard Saruko call.

Kagome looked towards the entrance of the hot spring and saw three women standing by the opening.

"Oh! Hello…." Kagome blushed a bit but brushed off her embarrassment and focused on her curiosity. She stood and grabbed the nearby towel that had been prepared for her.

"Ah, allow me Lady Kagome." Saruko offered stepping towards her.

"It's alright, Saruko." Kagome smiled and stepped out of the hot spring and wrapped the towel around herself. "I'm fine." She looked to the other women. "Hello, my name's Kagome."

"Milady." The two women chorused and bowed.

"Just Kagome, please."

"Lady Kagome."

"Just Kagome is fine."

"But Lady Kagome, to call you by name is disrespectful."

"How so?"

"You are of a higher rank than we, milady."

"I am?"

"You are Lady of the Western Lands, Milady."

"Oh… yeah." Kagome bit her lip. She had forgotten about that. "But wait," she paused. "I am the Lady of the Western Lands, right?"

"Of course Milady."

"Well then as Lady of the Western Lands I officially request that you call me by my name, Kagome."

The woman hesitated for a moment, thinking it over, before gently smiling. "Very well, Kagome-sama"

"Hmmmm, guess it's better than Lady…" Kagome smiled back. She observed the woman closely. She was dressed in some kind of light armor, a katana was strapped to her waist and her dark orange hair was pulled into a bun and held in place with chopsticks. Her yellow eyes were intense looking, and two fangs peeked out between her lips whenever she smiled. Her face had black stripes framing it, and her exposed arms had the same stripes on them. Her ears reminded Kagome of Sesshoumaru's, but shorter and smaller, Kagome could also see a long stripped tail waving back and forth behind her. This girl was definitely a Tora Youkai.

"Kagome-sama, I am Ayumi, your new personal guard. It is an honor to serve you." The Tora Youkai bowed.

"Personal guard?"

"Yes, Kagome-sama. As Lady of the Western Lands you will be a target to many… I am here to protect you."

"Oh, well…. Thank you." Kagome bit her lip. She wasn't sure that she liked the thought of someone putting themselves in danger to protect her. Pregnant or not she wasn't a damsel in distress. She had trained so hard, she wasn't weak. She'd have to talk to Sesshoumaru about this.

"Kagome-sama, if I may introduce myself." The final woman bowed. "I am Sakura, head healer of the palace. I have the honor of being milady's midwife."

Sakura had soft pink hair, and blue eyes. She looked the most human of the three, but Kagome could sense that she was Youkai. She didn't have claws like the other two women, nor did she seem to have fangs. She was small and petit.

The girl continued talking. "Kagome-sama, we'd like to wish you congratulations and welcome you to the western lands."

All three women bowed deeply.

"Okay…. We're gonna have to work on the bowing thing." Kagome laughed. "Thank you. It's nice to have a few girls to talk to." She giggled.

Sesshoumaru finished another document and sighed.

It had been an hour since he had been informed that Kagome was awake, and she still hadn't come to see him. He had assumed that it would be the first thing she'd do.

Sesshoumaru stood, if she wasn't going to come to him, he would go to her.

Before he could step out from behind his desk, a soft knock came from the door.

He paused, inhaled deeply, and quickly sat down.

**Mate.** His beast purred.

"Come in."

Kagome slipped through the door. She smiled at him. "Hi."

"Feeling better?"

She nodded, standing there and fidgeting by the door.

Sesshoumaru sat back and gestured for her to come closer.

Kagome walked across the room and let herself be pulled into Sesshoumaru's lap.

"Did you eat?"

"Yes."

"Good." He pulled her closer.

"Sesshoumaru, we need to talk."

"Hn?"

"About this personal guard thing… I don't need a personal guard."

"You do, and you will have one."

"Sesshoumaru…"

"You are my mate, Lady of the Western Lands, and carrying my heir. Do you know what that means?"

Kagome remained silent.

"It means that you will be targeted by those from the north, south, east, and even traitors in the West. There is no one in these lands that is targeted more than you. I will not allow you or our pup to get hurt, therefore you will have a guard, multiple when need be, when I am not around you." He placed a hand on her stomach. "There is nothing more important than your safety and the safety of our pups."

Kagome sighed. She couldn't exactly refuse him after what he'd just said. "Fine, but I want to continue with my own training. I'm not weak."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Of course you aren't. You may train, but only when I am present."

"Alright then, it's a deal." Kagome planted a kiss on his jawline before standing. "I'm going to go look for Shippo. Don't stay up too late."

"The young master is in here Milady." The servant gestured to a set of doors next to what she was sure was Sesshoumaru's room. "Milord had requested that we prepare the room beside his for the young master." He said, confirming her suspicions.

"Thank you."

She opened the door and found Shippo drawing in the middle of the floor. He looked up when he heard her come in.

"Mama! Look! Kimiko-chan says that this is my room! Isn't it great?!"

Kagome looked around the room. Shippo's bed was in the middle, it wasn't as big as Sesshoumaru's but it was big enough for her to sleep in, which she assumed was planned in case she wanted to sleep with her kit. There was a desk in the corner, similar to Sesshoumaru's, and a dresser beside the door. There was a small chest in another corner filled with toys from the look of it. It looked like Shippo also had a balcony as well.

Kagome smiled at Shippo and nodded.

"Are we going to stay here mama?" Shippo asked.

Kagome sat beside him on the floor and pulled him into her lap.

"Would you like to?" She asked.

Shippo nodded. "I think we'll be very happy here."

"Me too baby, me too." She tapped his nose. "Did you eat?"

"Uh-huh. Kimiko-chan brought me some food."

"Did you brush your teeth?" She asked, noting that her bag was sitting by the desk.

"Yup."

"Would you like a story before bed?"

Shippo nodded eagerly.

"Alright…. Once upon a time…"

Kagome exited the room and looked at the woman waiting by the door. "Kimiko-chan I presume?"

The girl nodded, her red hair bobbing as she did so. "I was asked by Milord to look after the Young Master from now on when he is not in the company of milady or milord."

Kagome nodded, "Thank you. And please, call me Kagome."

"Yes ma'am."

Kagome smiled and entered Sesshoumaru's room. She noticed that Saruko was waiting inside.

"Kagome-sama, is there anything you need?"

She shook her head. "No thank you, I think I'm going to go to bed."

"I'll prepare your nightclothes." Saruko walked over to the closet and opened it.

Kagome gasped. The closet was filled with beautiful kimonos and fabrics. "Are these… for me?"

"Yes. Milord had these prepared for you before he left." Saruko pulled out a baby blue robe and placed it on the bed. "Would you like me to assist you Kagome-sama?"

"Oh no, I can do it myself, thank you."

Saruko nodded. "I'll give you some privacy then, I'll be right outside the door, as will Ayumi and Sakura, should you need us."

Once Saruko left Kagome undressed. She marveled at the softness of the robe as she put it on.

'_Okay, maybe I do want to be pampered… just a little bit.'_ She giggled to herself as she tied the robe shut and got in bed. Before she could close the curtain she saw the door open.

~Lemon Warning~

Sesshoumaru entered.

"Wasn't expecting you so soon." Kagome smiled.

Sesshoumaru began to undress. "It was you who said that I should not stay up too late was it not?"

Kagome flushed. She hadn't seen those abs since…

She crawled to the end of the bed and sat back on her knees.

"Hmmm, maybe we could stay up a little later…"

"Oh?" He stood in front of her. "And what do you suppose we do?"

"Well," She traced one of the stripes along his hip eliciting a small hiss from him. "I was thinking," she gave a gentle pull to the fastenings on his pants. She gripped him. "Maybe we could…" She kissed the tip of his erection. She looked up at him. "Need I say more?" She pulled him towards her and had him lay on the bed. He began to sit up when she backed away but she pushed him back and smiled. She kneeled between his legs and gripped him. Keeping her eyes on him as she placed him in her mouth.

He groaned.

Kagome wasn't exactly knowledgeable in oral, but by the look on Sesshoumaru's face, she was doing just fine. She continued on, swirling, licking, kissing, pumping, but before she knew it she was on her back and Sesshoumaru was above her.

He kissed her roughly before pulling away. "Gods, what you do to me." He nipped at her neck as he opened her robe. His kisses trailed lower, paying attention to each breast before going lower. He nipped at the claw marks on her hip. He kissed her inner thigh and she gasped.

"Ah!" She cried out as he nibbled on her clit. She squirmed beneath him, mewling as his tongue plunged into her. He replaced his tongue with his finger and continued to nibble on her clit. He continued until he could feel her reaching the edge and stopped before she went over.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome panted. "Please," she groaned in disappointment.

In a flash he was kissing her and plunging into her at the same time. Kagome cried out into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. He slowly pulled out of her and thrust into her again. Kagome bucked up against him gasping. His thrusts got faster, deeper, and Kagome easily kept up with him.

Kagome felt Sesshoumaru's chest vibrate as he growled deeply. She watched his eyes bleed red and his fangs lengthen.

"**Mate.**" He growled.

"Yesss." Kagome moaned.

"**Mine.**" A final thrust brought her over the edge, him following soon after.

"Ah!" Kagome quivered as they rode out their climaxes.

~End Lemon~

Sesshoumaru rested his head on her chest, still overtaken by his inner youkai. He held himself above her, keeping his weight off her stomach.

"**Mine.**" He repeated. His voice sounding sated.

"Always." She whispered.


	21. Chapter Twenty

WARNING! I rewrote a few arts in the last four chapters or so. So please, _please_, either re-read the story, or the last few chapters before this update so you aren't confused. I didn't change much, just took a few parts out, added a part, and changed a few facts. Thank you!

~Chapter Twenty~

Kagome meandered around the gardens aimlessly. Shippo skipped ahead of her, chasing a butterfly. Saruko walked with her, happily joining in whenever Kagome started a conversation. Ayumi trailed behind them. Despite her many attempts to get Ayumi to walk beside them, the girl had refused.

"I have a better chance of fending off an oncoming attack from here Milady. It is a better vantage point."

Kagome pouted at this, but did not fight her. She made sure to include Ayumi in the conversations, but it wasn't the same.

"Mama look! I caught it!" Shippo hopped up to her, his tiny hands enclosed around the butterfly.

"It's beautiful Shippo, be careful not to hurt it though."

"I'll be careful." Shippo smiled up at her before turning his attention back to the butterfly. "I bet Rin would have loved it!"

Kagome paused. _'Rin.'_

She hadn't thought of the girl since they left the village. She felt a pang of guilt. Here she was, living in this palace, a place that used to be Rin's home, and Rin waited in her tiny hut for Sesshoumaru to come visit her again.

Sesshoumaru had sent her to the village because he wanted her to be safe. Naraku's minions and nefarious deeds had caused a lot of trouble in his lands, and Sesshoumaru was forced to constantly patrol his lands. He didn't want her to be alone at the palace while he patrolled his lands either and decided it was best to let her live in a village.

Kagome knew it hadn't been an easy decision for him. He wouldn't admit it, but he loved her like his own.

'_But things are different now.' _Kagome thought. She knelt awkwardly in front of Shippo, Saruko holding her arm to help her balance.

"Shippo, how would you like it if Rin came home? You'd like to have someone to play with right?"

Shippo's eyes widened. "Really?! Rin-chan can come live with us?"

Kagome smiled. "I'll have to ask Sesshoumaru, but I don't see why she can't."

It was true, now that she and Sesshoumaru were mated and she was pregnant, Sesshoumaru wouldn't be going on any patrols for a while. Even if he did have to leave the palace, Rin wouldn't be alone anymore.

"I'll go ask him right now." Kagome stood with the help of Saruko.

Saruko stayed in the gardens with Shippo while Kagome and Ayumi headed inside. Kagome sent another servant to find Kimiko to take Saruko's place.

Kagome slipped into Sesshoumaru's office. He was there, at his desk, like he was every morning since they'd returned.

He didn't look up, but Kagome could tell that he knew she was there.

"I have a request to make." She started, sitting down in her chair.

Sesshoumaru had it moved into his office a few days after they'd arrived. Kagome had made a habit of visiting him as he worked in his office and staying for hours. She would either read, or talk with him, or curl up and sleep.

Sesshoumaru put down the document he was reading and gave her his full attention.

"I was hoping it would be alright if Rin came home. I know your reasons for sending her to the village, but since things changed, is there really any reason for her to stay there?"

There was a flash of a smile on his face before he turned back to his paperwork.

"I have already sent for her. Rin will be home in time for the upcoming Ball."

"A Ball?" Kagome shifted in her chair and settled back in. Sesshoumaru nodded, not lifting his gaze from his paperwork. "Why? It's not that I don't like the idea of a ball, but what is it for?"

"It is to celebrate our mating, the adoption our Kit, and to welcome the Heir of the Western Lands. I suppose it is in celebration of the return of my ward as well."

"Oh."

Sesshoumaru finally raised his gaze. Kagome did not meet his gaze. "What is it?"

"Well… I'm not exactly 'Lady of the West' material. I don't want to embarrass you. What will people think? Some little human just randomly shows up and is suddenly the Lady to the Western lands and oh! Surprise surprise! She's preggers too!"

Sesshoumaru raised a brow and Kagome blushed.

"It's slang for pregnant. What I'm trying to say is… Our mating and my pregnancy wasn't exactly planned. Isn't planning a ball and flaunting our, for lack of a better word, mistakes… kind of… I don't know… shameful?" Kagome's eyes flickered to his before lowering her gaze again. "I kind of put you in a awkward position."

Sesshoumaru was in front of her in a flash. He gripped her chin and forced her to look him in the eye.

"There is _nothing _shameful about it. You are my mate, you were destined to be mine and I yours from the beginning. It simply happened sooner rather than later. This," He placed a hand on her stomach, "may not have been planned, but it was no mistake."

Tears formed in Kagome's eyes. "I don't think so either," She whispered. "But what will others think?"

"I care not what others think." He wiped away one of the tears that escaped her eyes.

Kagome stood, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you." She smiled at him. "You are the most caring man I have ever met."

Sesshoumaru growled playfully, nipping at her nose. "Hn, perhaps you should keep that to yourself. We don't want my adversaries catching word. They might think me weak."

Kagome shook head. "Caring for someone doesn't make you weak. It gives you strength. Caring makes you a better person."

"Yes," he began as he nuzzled her, "I'm beginning to see that."

They shared a kiss before Kagome pulled away.

"I have to meet Sakura for a check up."

"Very well." Sesshoumaru gave her a quick peck before placing a hand on her stomach again.

"Oh!"

They both looked down in surprise.

"Was that?" Sesshoumaru asked.

Kagome squealed excitedly. "The baby just kicked!" She threw her arms around him. "We just felt the baby's first kick!"

Sesshoumaru swelled with pride. He knelt before her stomach and placed an ear against her stomach. He listened closely, hoping to hear the infant's heartbeat.

A few moments later he stood, pulling her towards the door.

"Come."

"Where are we going?"

"To Sakura. There is something I wish to confirm."

Sesshoumaru lead her to Sakura's room. She was temporarily taking residence in the room opposite theirs, which was to be the nursery once the baby came.

He sat her down in a chair and spoke to Sakura in a tone too low for Kagome to hear. Sakura nodded and moved to her side.

"Good afternoon, Kagome-sama," she bowed before continuing, "I understand that the babe has kicked?"

"Yes, it was the first time I've felt it. _Oh!_ There it is again!" Kagome smiled.

Sakura placed a hand on Kagome's stomach, gently applying pressure in a few spots.

There was another kick.

"I don't think the baby likes that." Kagome giggled.

"No, I suppose they don't."

"Well, I'm glad the baby is getting stronger."

Sakura placed an ear to her stomach, much like Sesshoumaru had done, but it was less intimate.

After a moment Sakura backed away and nodded to Sesshoumaru, as if confirming something.

Sesshoumaru smiled.

Kagome looked at them, curious. Sesshoumaru rarely smiled in front of others. "What is it?"

"It appears, Kagome, that you are having twins."

~End of Chapter~

I know, very predictable with the twins thing but hey, I love twins. Besides, dogs don't just have one puppy usually anyways hahaha.

And yes, I know, I'm going to get a bunch of reviews saying my update was way too short. Well, I just spent the last seven, yes, SEVEN hours going through this story and tweeking and changing it and then I wrote this tidbit so cut me some slack. I'm going through my stories by update dates, meaning the ones that haven't been updated in the longest are the ones I'm working on and some of them need to be rewritten. Lucky for the readers of this particular story, it only took one night to do the rewrite. My other stories aren't so lucky. You'll see another update once I fix and update the others. Unless its my drabble story, Azure and Obsidian, I update that more often cuz I write my chapters (100 word drabbles) during my breaks at work on my cell phone and copy and paste them onto fanfic.


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